South African athletics star Oscar Pistorius has denied murdering his girlfriend, saying he shot her by mistake thinking she was an intruder. He told a packed bail hearing in Pretoria that he loved Reeva Steenkamp and had never intended to kill her.

‘Premeditated murder’

Prosecutors accuse Mr Pistorius of premeditated murder.The case has shocked South Africans and many around the world who admire Oscar Pistorius for overcoming adversity to become a Paralympic champion.

Defence lawyer Barry Roux read a sworn statement from Mr Pistorius, saying the couple had been “deeply in love”. The couple went to sleep shortly after 22:00, the statement said. In the middle of the night, Mr Pistorius woke up and went to the balcony because he thought he had heard an intruder, it added.

“It was pitch-dark in the bedroom. I did not have my prosthetic legs on and felt extremely vulnerable.”

‘Died in my arms’

According to the statement, Mr Pistorius thought Ms Steenkamp was still in bed, and he fired through the bathroom door, believing he was shooting at a robber. When he realised Ms Steenkamp was not in the bed, “it filled me with horror and fear”, it said. Mr Pistorius broke the door down to find his girlfriend shot inside.

“She died in my arms,” the statement said. “I am absolutely mortified at the death of my beloved Reeva”.

The hearing was later adjourned until Wednesday. Meanwhile, the private funeral for the 29-year-old model and law graduate was held in her home town of Port Elizabeth.

What is your view regarding the tragic death of Oscar Pistorius’ girlfriend? Premeditated murder or just a horrible accident?

South African Olympic and Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius is facing a murder charge after his girlfriend was shot and killed at his Pretoria home. His arrest over the death of model Reeva Steenkamp has stunned the country where he is considered a national hero. The 26-year-old is due to appear in court on Friday.

‘Four gunshot wounds’

Mr Pistorius made history in London last year when he became the first double-amputee track athlete to compete in the Olympic Games. He is known as the “blade runner” because of the carbon fibre prosthetic blades he races in. He was born without a fibula in both legs and had his legs amputated below the knee before his first birthday.

Police were called to his home in the upmarket Silver Woods gated compound on the outskirts of South Africa’s administrative capital in the early hours of Thursday morning. They found paramedics treating a 29-year-old woman with four gunshot wounds to the head and upper body. She died at the scene, and officers recovered a 9mm pistol.

‘Mistaken for an intruder’

Early reports suggested Mr Pistorius might have mistaken his girlfriend for an intruder. Police say neighbours heard screaming and shouting around the time of the shooting, and that they had been called to investigate incidents of a domestic nature at the same house in the past. They also said that they would oppose any bail application.

South Africa has one of the highest rates of crime in the world and many residents keep weapons to protect themselves against intruders. But gun ownership is strictly regulated and it is not easy to obtain a licence.

Do you think it was really Oscar Pistorius who shot his girlfriend? What could have been the real reason behind this fatal shooting?